Established in 2016, the BPF financing facility encourages the private sectors of Luxembourg and Europe to work together with public or private partners in developing countries to support the growth of sustainable and innovative business projects in these developing contexts.
Projects from all sectors are eligible for BPF financing so long as they demonstrate a strong contribution to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, job creation or technology transfer in the partner country.
As in previous years, co-financing in the 2023 Business Partnership Facility is provided in the form of grants of up to €200,000, covering up to 50% of a project’s overall cost.
A two-step selection procedure
The BPF is initiated and financed by the Directorate for Development Cooperation and Humanitarian Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs and implemented by LuxDev, the Luxembourg Development Cooperation Agency, in partnership with the Ministry of Economy, the Chamber of Commerce and Luxinnovation.
The selection process entails a first pre-selection stage for the projects submitted via a downloadable application form. If a project advances to the next phase, the company will be required to submit a more comprehensive proposal.
Luxinnovation can guide interested Luxembourg companies in developing a detailed proposal.
2023 Business Partnership Facility (BPF) application deadlines
Since the last edition in 2022, companies have had the opportunity to respond to the project calls that now take place twice each year.
The deadline for this first Business Partnership Facility call for projects is 30 April 2023. Later this year, a second call for projects will be issued.
Track record of success and local Impact
So far, the BPF has supported 39 projects, mostly in Africa. Project co-financing typically average around €130,000 per project. The creation of a cybersecurity operations centre for microfinance institutions in Senegal, the development of a new electronic cargo tracking slip system in Burkina Faso, the establishment of an organic spice distribution network in Nepal, are some examples of past projects that have received support.
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